The pictures above of a Minke Whale were taken by Ron Bates. MMRG.
Our tour this afternoon found at least one if not 2 Minke Whales at Hein Bank. Minke Whales are the second smallest of the Baleen family of whales and feed on small fish. Hein Bank is an area that is a rich source of food for the Minke Whales and so they are often sighted in this area.
During our evening tour we heard reports just as we headed out of the harbor that at least one of the Southern Resident Orca Pods had been sighted near Beachy Head heading west and that is where we headed. When we arrived on scene the orcas were spread out over the entire width of the Strait of Juan De Fuca and our first encounter was with J1 "Ruffles". We also saw J26 "Mike" and J2 "Granny", amongst other members of Jpod, plus 3 maybe 4 members of Lpod. As we sat there alone with the Orcas we observed a number of breaches, cartwheels, spyhops and tailslaps!
On our way home we stopped off at Race Rocks Marine Protected Area and saw two Northern Elephant Seals, numerous Harbor Seals and even a Bald Eagle. Visit www.racerocks.com to learn more about this historic site. Orcas, calm seas and beautiful weather, what more could you ask for:)
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